hmm... im not sure where this one was going....BUT hey, it got there.. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and the cliff and the darkness...nah, i wont tell you, but if you dont get what that symbolizes, ask.. :)


Chapter Twenty One

    Glory wasn’t even sure what was real or what was the fever frenzied dreams anymore. Everything she kept seeing seemed like things that could really be happening. She honestly had no idea what was going on.
Glory.
That soft voice echoed around her head, whispery soft and persuasive.
She was standing on a cliff, peering down into a black abyss. The soft voice was calling to her, wanting her to just give up. To just allow herself to take that one step over the edge. It whispered soft promises that things would be much better once she went off the edge. Things would be perfect. Everyone would be better. But then Aden would appear and plead with her to not give up. To keep fighting. He fought out the soft voices, begging her to stay with (him). That he would come and make everything better.
Glory felt like she had whiplash. She was ready to tell both of them to jump off the cliff without her. She took one step forward and prepared to let herself drop into the blackness.
“Get up.”
That voice was not one of the nice voices filling her head. It instantly jerked her from her dream state. That was the voice that she would hate as long as she lived.
“ Glory, get up!”
Glory struggled to open heavy eyelids. When her lead filled eyes finally opened, she saw Damien’s gorgeous face, lightly shadowed in the dim lights.
“ No.” Her voice came out hoarse.
“ Glory, come on. You’ve been screaming for hours non stop. Something about a cliff, and a bunch of other nonsense. Nicolas consented to allow me to warm you up a little.”
Glory moaned as her numb arms were released and fell to her sides. After hours of sitting in the same position, she couldn’t move.
“ Come on, Sweetheart.” Damien helped her to stand gently, supporting her with an arm around her hips.
“ I don’t want your help.” Glory tried for a tough voice, but it came out weak and helpless.
“ I know, babe. But I need you to come over here with me.”
Glory was helpless to resist him as he led her over to the darkest shadowed part of the cavern.
“ Here. Sit down.” He flicked on some lights and Glory gasped.
Glory blinked in shock at what lay before her. An elaborately decorated room stared back at her.
“What’s this?” She asked quietly as she gingerly lowered herself down on the plush couch.
“ Nicolas likes watching his guests sometimes. So he had a portion of the room decorated. That wall over there looks see through to us, but no one can see in it. To you on the outside, it just looks like the other walls of the room.”
“ That’s horrible…” She let her harsh words fade off.
Damien’s hands brushed across her forehead tenderly.
“ Glory, you’re burning up!” Damien exclaimed.
“ I don’t feel so hot.” Glory murmured, and rubbed her numb hands together, trying to get some feeling back in them.
“ Well you have a fever, and a pretty high one at that.” Damien crouched on his heels in font of her, brushing hair off of her face.
Glory rubbed her arms, hoping some spark of warmth would come.
“ Here, sorry. I forgot.” Damien’s eyes flared, and a blanket flew over from one of the chairs to appear beside them. Damien grabbed it out of the air, and tucked it around her quickly.
“ Why are you doing this?” Glory chattered.
Damien’s movements slowed to a stop and he finally looked her in the eyes.
“ I don’t know. Something about being around you makes me feel good. Like I’m not a bad person.”
Glory stared at him, and reached a shaking hand up to brush a wavy strand of hair off of his forehead.
“ I don’t think you’re a bad person, Damien.” She murmured.
His blue eyes sparked blue fire. “ Yeah? Well I am.”
Glory felt herself rise, but she was too weak to even try to struggle. If he wanted to harm her, she couldn’t stop him. But Damien wasn’t trying to hurt her this time, and she lay on the couch more comfortably.
“ There you go, Sweetheart.”
Glory offered him a thin smile of thanks.
“ I’m freezing, Damien.” She whispered and hugged herself.
Concern flickered through his eyes and he frowned.
“ I don’t know what to do for you. I cant take you out of here.”
Damien muttered more to himself than to her.
Glory looked at him pleadingly, curling into a ball under the blanket. She didn’t know if she had ever been this cold before. The sound of the iron door creaking open sent her heart racing.
“ Well, well, well…” The familiar voice echoed around the cavern.
Glory tried to sit up, but couldn’t. Damien helped her with his mind, so she could see what was going on.
“ Joel!” She exclaimed weakly. They were here! She could go home!
He grinned and stalked closer. Damien rose to his feet in a flash, standing between her and Joel.
“What are you doing here?” He snapped.
“ Decided to visit a little someone.” Joel stepped around Damien to look down on Glory.
“ You weren’t supposed to come home until next week.” Damien sounded suspicious.
Glory’s hopes plummeted. “What?” She whispered.
Joel grinned down at her, still looking arrogant.
“ Bet you didn’t see that one coming.”
Glory swore she saw red. Joel was a traitor. The Montez’s weren’t here. She wasn’t rescued. They all had been believing a lie. Joel had been working with the enemy all along.